


A Little Taste of Home

by templefugate



Series: Femslash February 2k17 [5]
Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney Princesses, Tangled (2010), The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Character of Color, Cooking, Crossover Pairings, Drabble, F/F, Femslash, Femslash February, Femslash February Celebrates Black Women, One Shot, POV Character of Color, POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 16:56:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9616868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templefugate/pseuds/templefugate
Summary: Tiana may be a college student, but that doesn't mean she (or her girlfriend) have to live off ramen and delivery pizza.





	

Just because she was in college didn't mean that Tiana had to live off of microwaved meals and fast food. While grease-covered pizza, with warm cheese dripping off the side, was wonderful on occasion, and she had cried over ramen a few more times than she cared to admit, there was nothing like a home cooked meal. Her dishes might not have her father's love stirred into it, but they definitely had all the right spices.

Pulling away from the pot, Tiana sighed and leaned against the kitchen countertop. Even with the AC roaring, sweat gushed down her face and neck in steady waves. Turning to the sink, Tiana washed spare bits of food from her hands under icy water.

All that was left was for the food to heat up. The thought always made her stomach flutter. Beneath the serious student persona she wore like a dress stood a stubborn little girl, clad in a messy apron and a plastic princess crown, who didn't know what the word "patience" meant.

She collapsed into her chair. Though her hair was tied back in a thick bun, strands fell and tickled her ears and forehead. She wiped it back.

On the table lay thick stacks of papers and forgotten textbooks. Most days it was hard to tell which was Charlotte's and which was hers - she and her roommate shared so many classes it was almost spooky. However, her lime green handwriting was impossible to miss. There was nothing that couldn't be saved without the help of gel pens. Tiana quickly buried her head in her linear algebra textbook.

Cooking was more than a hobby or a way to earn money (though getting paid twenty bucks just to make a sandwich and toss a salad certainly had its perks), it was also the only thing that kept her from throwing her textbook out the window - and then jumping after it. When she baked sweets or prepared soups, her worries melted away as though they were made of butter. There was no space in her mind for thoughts of upcoming tests, English readings, accounting spreadsheets, or her psychology project. Ingredients danced through her head like people in a conga line, heating and time instructions repeated in a mental mantra.

A knock at the door, quick and just barely loud enough for Tiana to even hear them, broke her concentration. She paused, her eyes hanging over the textbook but unable to analyze the figures or equations, before finally standing up at another trio of knocks. Most of the time, guests were for her neighbors. Tiana barely knew Jasmine and Ariel was almost always out, but they definitely had their fair share of guests. She could spend weeks counting out the number of times she had opened the door only to find no one waiting for her. For the hefty half of the rent she split each month, Tiana was sure the place could have afforded thicker walls.

Luckily, the person at the door was there to see Tiana herself.

"Sorry I'm late! My lab went nearly half an hour overtime, then I got stuck in traffic, and it was a pain trying to find parking. I would have texted you but my phone didn't actually charge last night! Anyway, it's totally my fault and I'll try not to do it again!" In between her words, spit out faster than bullets from a machine gun, Rapunzel squeaked.

Tiana blinked, looking her over wordlessly. Her blonde hair, which was so long it nearly reached her butt, was sticking in all directions. Rapunzel's milky face was flushed, and she was so close that Tiana could make out beads of sweat on her skin. Her jewelry, shiny charm bracelets and glittering golden hoop earrings, jangled with each slight movement she made.

It's Tuesday. The thought hit Tiana like a sudden slap. Sure, she had known it deep down. Earlier, she had worked from six in the morning to nearly four in the afternoon at the school's coffee shop in the student center, a feat only made possible by the fact that this was the only day she had no classes scheduled.

Even more importantly, it was the day she and Rapunzel were supposed to study for their organic chemistry test together.

It seemed that her daily worries weren't the only thing that had slipped her mind while preparing dinner.

Tiana stepped back, motioning Rapunzel forward. "Oh don't worry about it, goldie. I found a way to pass the time while waiting for you."

"Oh, thank goodness." Rapunzel quickly hurried in. "I was scared I kept you waiting."

"With bated breath."

The two laughed, the sound filling the small entrance.

This was, Tiana realized as Rapunzel followed her inside the kitchen, the first time that she'd had her girlfriend over at her apartment. Girlfriend - the thought sent a shiver down her spine but also a wonderful warmth through her head. Dating had never been part of her academic plan, not when she was already practically married to school and her job. But getting together with Rapunzel, though it was anything but ordinary and had snuck up on Tiana from behind, suddenly seemed as natural as breathing. Like cooking, this was her one escape.

To think, it had all started because of a pair of reptiles and amphibians.

Just as when Tiana had first met her, Pascal sat on Rapunzel's shoulder. Truly a master shapeshifter, he had snuck into so many classes that even the teachers who knew about him looked the other way. If only Tiana's little frog pal, Naveen (The Second - her ex may have been long gone but his name stuck around like a fly to the tongue) could do the same!

"It looks like you're already prepared to study," Rapunzel commented, looking over the cluttered table. "Good thing your brain is turned on because mine needs a bit of a focus adjustment."

"Oh, don't mind these," Tiana said, quickly picking up and sorting out the books and papers.

Rapunzel sniffed the air. "What are you making?" Her green eyes widened, a blonde eyebrow raising. She sniffed again. "Is it, uh, soup?"

"Sort of."

"Chili?"

Tiana laughed. "Not hardly."

"Um, does it have vegetables in it?"

Tiana nodded.

"So, uh, vegetable soup?"

"Oh, it's a little more complex than that. Believe me, you won't find this in a can." Tiana tapped a finger against the side of her head. "Here's a hint: it starts with the letter 'j'."

"Juice?" Rapunzel sputtered. "Uh, java? Jam?"

"Jambalaya!"

The cold wasn't the only downside to going to a northern college. Home style food was nearly impossible to find in restaurants, let alone at any of the school's dining halls. Most days, dinner left her belly full but with an empty craving for something better.

"Jambalaya?" Rapunzel blinked.

"You've never even heard of it?" Tiana's eyes widened. Even her pals like Mulan and Aurora, who usually never went anywhere south of Boston, had tried it before on family vacations.

Rapunzel shook her head. "Look, as a kid I'd be lucky if my mom made hazelnut soup. Most nights it was stuff like macaroni and cheese or microwaved vegetables."

"Wow! You said you were sheltered growing up, but your mom practically deprived you!" Skipping over to the stove, Tiana pulled out a spoon. "Just for that, you get the honor of being my first taste tester."

Rapunzel stepped up beside her. Tiana pressed a quick kiss to her soft, thin lips, a long grin spread across both of their faces, before she held out the spoon.

"Tell me if you've ever tasted anything better. This one was made with chicken and sausage, but you should try it with shrimp too." Tiana licked her lips. "There's nothing quite like it."

Rapunzel grinned. "This is... Wow!" She waved her hands. "I've never tasted anything like it."

"So it's not too big of a guess to say you haven't tasted gumbo, let alone my Daddy's recipe, or turtle soup or seasoned oysters? And no beignets or bread pudding either - surely putting that sweet tooth of yours to shame."

Rapunzel gave an airy laugh. "Definitely not."

"Oh, then you best be stopping by to study with me more." Oh, Tiana had to use all her willpower to keep herself from jumping up and down. This was a golden opportunity if she ever saw one. The faint taste of home flickered across her tongue.

The blonde grinned. "Oh, I think I can make room in my schedule."

**Author's Note:**

> I see a modern Tiana as still being as hardworking as ever, and still dreaming of opening her own restaurant, but also a bit more laid back. Also, since this is an AU, her father is still alive (and very proud of all her accomplishments).


End file.
